-
Laskiainen Finnish Sliding Festival in Palo this weekend
This is an older post about Laskiainen. Click here for the 2016 information. This weekend, Feb. 7-8, the 78th Annual Laskiainen Finnish Sliding Festival will be held near the Loon Lake Community Center in downtown Palo, Minnesota. This annual Iron Range winter tradition originated with Finnish immigrants who settled places like Palo after they were…
-
MN House hearing on non-ferrous mining today
Today at 2:45 p.m., the House Committee on Mining and Outdoor Recreation will hold an “informational hearing” on non-ferrous mining. When Republicans took over the State House after the 2014 election, some questioned the name and unusual structure of this committee. As I wrote, it appeared designed to serve the specific political aims of putting Republicans…
-
Several Range-area communities to receive broadband
Lt. Gov. Tina Smith will be on the Iron Range today to announce $2.3 million in broadband grants for communities around the Iron Range. I’ve written recently about the slow warming to the economic potential of broadband here, where I’ve long argued the tremendous potential for entrepreneurship and education that this technology presents. Today’s announcement is…
-
Grin and Bear it: Ely to host beard contest
This week brings Winter Fest to the unique northern environs of Ely, Minnesota. A mining town filled with hippies? Or a hippie town obsessed with mining? You never can tell, but this little burg sure has a lot going on if you know where to look. In this case, you’ll see snow sculptures in the city park in the Feb. 5-15…
-
IRRRB, DEED lose public cash in stock deal
On Sunday, the Duluth News Tribune published a John Myers story detailing a public investment in an Iron Range nonferrous mining project that cost two state agencies half a million dollars. The IRRRB and DEED each lost about $284,000 when Antofagasta took control of the Ely project, now called Twin Metals. The loss came after…
-
Tomassoni can’t have it both ways with RAMS job
If you haven’t heard yet, the duly elected State Senator from the Iron Range, David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm), recently announced he would take a job as Executive Director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) while continuing to serve in the Senate. RAMS is a public influence group that helps Range cities and schools…
-
Job conflict dogs Tomassoni; RAMS members losing faith
State Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm) may have just a few days to determine whether he will be a State Senator from the Iron Range or leader of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS), an organization that lobbies for local government in St. Paul. His desire to do both, as he announced he would two weeks…
-
Bertha vs. Blizzard: Who will win Super Bowl … of pathos?
It’s Super Bowl Sunday … Weekend! This most American quasi-holiday arrives just as our easily distracted, irritable nation needs it most. Two football teams will enter the stadium and … well, both will walk out as well. But one of them will be Super Bowl Champions, a fact that surprisingly few people will remember in about…
-
Mesabi Nugget to shut down 6-8 weeks
Mesabi Nugget, a unique newer iron nugget plant on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range, announced yesterday it will shut down for about 6-8 weeks, waiting to burn off excess supply in a sluggish market and rough financial situation. Officials say the shutdown will begin sometime in February or March. The plant employed about 130 people last year.…
-
The Great Iron Range Keystone Light Caper
A recent crime story in Hibbing, Minnesota, has nabbed a lot of attention and plenty of social media shares in my circles. Early in the morning on Wednesday, Jan. 28, a man broke through the door of the Some Beach Liquor Store on the southern side of the Beltline near the Eastern European performance art…
-
Anderson edges Schroeder in 2015 Beargrease sled dog race
The 2015 John Beargrease sled dog marathon is in the books. Past champion Ryan Anderson of Ray, Minnesota, out-dueled defending champion and three-time winner Nathan Schroeder of Chisholm (by way of “the big city’a” Warba), pulling in at 2:53 a.m. Wednesday. Schroeder pulled in about half an hour later at 3:21. One of these two…
-
Sleeping Giant: subtle view of Range people, places, color
About three years ago I had the honor of working with Minneapolis photographer Vance Gellert as he planned a major project centered on Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. I consulted with him on a few shoots, gave him some ideas, and he went about his business. Well, after a preview show in 2013, the final results…
-
Mining career event at MN Discovery Center this Friday
Those interested in exploring a career in mining should check out the state Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Mining Industry Day at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm this Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Often my work here at MinnesotaBrown is painted as “anti-mining” and I really don’t care for that characterization. Five…
-
Campaign Finance Board offers vague OK to Tomassoni
Earlier this week I wrote that I was worried that the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, lacking jurisdiction on the matter of Sen. David Tomassoni’s new job as head of a lobbying organization, would issue some vague shrug-turned-nod in his direction. That, after all, was probably why Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk and Sen. Tomassoni requested the…
-
How to Survive Blizzards (Maybe), with Love from Minnesota
Dear East Coast USA, We see on your TV channels that you are experiencing a large blizzard of historic proportions today. Two feet of snow is a lot, you guys. We would know. Hi, this is Minnesota. Maybe you’ve heard of us? Bob Dylan is from here, and so is Prince. We know those guys have…